1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with improved, edible texturized starch products, particularly retorted or aseptically packaged, tapioca-style pudding, containing uniform starch particles prepared from starch and a gelling hydrocolloid.
1. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art that sodium alginate becomes a viscous mass when dissolved in water and is capable of solidification by calcium chloride. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,403,547 and 3,093,483. It is also known that milk can be the source of calcium ion. See British Pat. No. 1,328,263. Such alginate gels have been used to prepare simulated fruit products. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,360. In preparing such products, starches have also been utilized, but in a different manner from that of the present invention. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,791,508; 3,362,831; and 3,892,870; and British Pat. No. 1,369,198.
An extruded starch product for use in mass produced tapioca-style pudding processed in an automated high temperature canning system, in which the starch particles are resistant to disintegration on cooking, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,657. However, the process of that patent uses heat extrusion to gelatinize a portion of the starch in order to achieve a binding force, whereas the present invention uses a gelling hydrocolloid as binder.